Woven-wire-fence clamp.



" JO? Y J. FISHER.

WOVEN WIRE FENCE CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.1'I, 1908 91 1,963, Patented Feb. 9, 1909;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. FISHER.

WOVEN WIRE FENCE CLAMP.

APPLIOATION 211.111) FBB.17, 190B.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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- is a specification.

TENT ermon.

JAUOB FISHER, OF SAG CITY, IOWA.

W VE N-WIRE-FENCE CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 17 Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

, 1908. Serial No. 416,315.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB Frsnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sac City, in the county of Sac and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Vfovenl fire-Fence Clamp, of which the following The invention relates to improvements in woven wire fence clamps for wire stretchers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of woven wire fence clamps, and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one of great strength and durability, designed particularly for heavy stretching, and adapted to readily crimp heavy strands or line wires, whereby the clamp is effectually prevented from slipping when in operation and when the wire fencing is stretched to a high tension.

TVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resortedto with out departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a woven wire fence clamp, constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a wire fence and connected to a wire stretcher. Figs. 2 and 3 are side and. end. views of the clamp. Fig. 1 is a central horizontal sectional view of the clamp and the chain hook. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the clamp. Fig. 6 is a de tail view of the main or relatively fixed section or member of the clamp. F 7 is a side view of the lower portion of the clamp, illustrating a modification of the invention, a cam lever being employed for operating the relatively movable section or member of the clamp to crimp the wires and clamp the fen 0- ing.

Like numerals of reference designate cor responding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The clamp embodies two sections or me1nhers 1 and 2, having inner interfitting crimp ing faces adapted to bend or corrugate the line or strand wires of wire fencing, whereby l the latter is prevented from slipping during the operation of the device, and when the wires are placed under a high tension. The section or member 1 is provided in its inner face with a longitudinal groove or channel 3, and the other section or member 2 is provided with a longitudinal rib l, corresponding with and adapted to force the line wires 5 of the woven wire fencing into the groove or channel 3, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The section or member 1 is provided at opposite sides of the groove or channel 3 with flat engaging faces 1 and the said groove or channel 3 has a flat bottom face 3 and inclined side walls 3. The other section or member has flat engaging faces or portions 2 at opposite sides of the rib 4, which is provided With inclined side faces 1 and a flat front face 4 The rib and the groove are adapted to crimp the wires without cutting the same, and the spaced outer flat engaging faces 1 and 2 which. lie beyond the rib and the groove, clamp the wires at each end of the crimped portions. Also the clamping members are slightly rounded at the inclined portions, as clearly shown in F 4, to avoid cutting the wire.

The section or member 1 is equipped with central, end and intermediate boxes or yokes 13, 14 and 15, each composed of spaced sides and connecting front and rear portions, the rear portion being secured to the outer or rear face of the section or memher 1 by a bolt 16. The bolts 16 pierce the relatively fixed section or member at the bottom of the groove or channel, and. its head. is arranged flush with the flat bottom face of the said groove or channel. By this particular arrangement of the bolts 16, the latter not only pierce the relatively fixed clamping member at the thinnest portion, but the relatively movable clamping member, when in engagement with the fence wires, will effectually prevent the bolts from becoming displaced. The section or member 1 fits snugly within one endof each box or yoke, and the sides thereof project horizontally from the side edges of the said section or member 1. The front connecting portion of each box or yoke is preferably thickened or enlarged centrally, as shown, and it is provided in the thickened or en larged ortion with a threaded perforation 17 for tile reception of an operating screw 18. The edges of the boxes or yokes are also preferably rounded, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, to enable the boxes or okes to be passed through the intersti tia openings of the woven wire fencing without catching on the fence wires. Each operating screw is rovided at its outer end with a crank hand e 19, and it is equipped at its inner end 20 with a head 21, engaging the front or outer face of the relatively movl able section or member of the clamp. The head of the adjusting screw, which may be applied to the same in any suitable manner, is preferably provided with a central open ing 22, in which the inner end of the screw is riveted, or otherwise secured. The adjusting screws enable the clamp to be easily operated with sufhcient force to readily crimp the heaviest strands or line wires of wire fencing.

The relatively movable section or member 2, which has its lower end 23 rounded at the side edges, is provided at the upper end with a grip or handle 24 to facilitate its removal from the boxes or yokes of the clamp. The section or member 2 is removed to permit the boxes or yokes to be passed through the openings of the woven wire fencing, and after this has been effected, the section or member is replaced, and is engaged by the operating screws to crimp and clamp the wire fencing.

The section or member 1 is provided with sets or, series of perforations 26, arranged to receive the bolts of the intermediate boxes or yokes to enable the same and their clamping screws to be adjusted along the clamp to position the boxes or yokes to correspond with the mesh of the wire fencing so as to pass readily through the openings thereof.

The clamp is strengthened by side trusses embodying longitudinal truss rods 27, offset from the sections or members 1 and 2 at the center of the clamp by means of central horizontal arms 28, constituting struts in the trusses. The horizontal arms 28, which are formed integral with the central boxes or yokes, extend from the same at the rear end thereof. The truss rods are oppositely inclined, and the arms or struts are provided at their outer ends with grooves 29 to receive the rods. The ends 30 of the truss rods are threaded for the reception of nuts 31 and extend through 0 enings 32 of lugs or ears 33, formed integralhvith the boxes or yokes and extending from op osite sides of the same. The nuts engage the lugs or ears and enable the truss rods to be strained to the desired tension. The opposite truss rods brace the clamp when the same is used in either a left or right hand position.

The clamp is preferably engaged by a double chain hook 34, composed of two substantially hook-shaped sides and a conboxes, and an arm extending from one of the necting portion 35, having an opening 36 and laterally bent at 87 to arrange its outer end centrally of the device and in line with the draft to prevent any lateral movement or twisting of the clamp. The hook-shaped sides are provided with angular bills or portions for engaging the clamp, and a chain 39 has one end linked into the opening 36. The chain constitutes a portion of a wire stretcher, which is equipped with a lever 40, carrying chain-engaging dogs 41 and fulcrumed by means of an anchoring chain 42. The lever is adapted to be oscillated to operate the dogs 41 to successively engage the chain 39 for stretching the fence wire. The clamp may, however, be employed with various other forms of wire stretchers.

No claim is presented in the application for the double chain hook, as this has been made the subject-matter of a separate applieation.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings is illustrated a modification of the invention, in which the sections or members 43 and 44 are operated by a cam lever 45, mounted between the front ends of the sides of a box or yoke 46. The box or yoke 46, which is substantially rectangular, is constructed and arranged the same as the end boxing 14 with the exception that the outer end is omitted to provide a space for the clamping lever. The clamp, shown in Fig. 7, is equipped at each side with a truss rod 47, constructed and arranged similar to those heretofore described.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A clamp of the class described including a relatively fixed wire clamping member, spaced guides carried by the same, a relatively movable wire clamping member operating in the said guides, and a continuous truss rod extending from the top to the bottom of the clamp and connected at the ends with the clamp by the spaced guides.

2. A clamp of the class described including wire-engaging members, boxes having integral sides and ends detachably secured. to one of the members, the sides of the boxes forming guides for the other member, means mounted on the boxes for engaging the latter member, truss rods located at opposite sides of the clamp and connected at their ends with two of the boxes, and arms extending from one of the boxes and engaging the truss rods at a point intermediate of the ends thereof.

3. A clamp of the class described including wire clamping members, boxes having integral sides and ends and detachably secured to one of the members, the sides of the boxes forming guides for the other member, means mounted on the boxes for engaging the latter, a truss rod located at the side of the clamp and connected at its ends with two of the boxes and engaging the truss rod at a point intermediate of its ends.

4;. A clamp of the class described comprisin members having wire-engaging faces, spaced guide boxes located at the ends of the clamp and at a point intermediate of the ends of the same and composed of integral sides and ends and detachably secured to one of the members and provided with means for engaging the other member, the latter being guided in the said boxes, a longitudinal truss rod located at the side of the clamp outside the plane of the fence wires and connected at its ends with the clamp by the end guide boxes and having its intermediate portion spaced from the clamp by the intermediate guide box.

5. A clamp of the class described comprising wire-engaging members, boxes secured to one of'the members and provided with means for engaging the other member and located at the ends of the clamp and at points intermediate of the ends thereof, the intermediate boxes being adjustable along the clamp to correspond to-the openings of the wire fencing.

6. A clamp of the class described comprising wireengaging members, boxes located at the ends of the clamp and at a point between the said ends and provided with adjustin means for causing the members to engage the fence wires, the end boxes being provided with projecting lugs and the other box having a projecting arm, and a side truss rod having angularly related portions and secured at its ends to the said lugs, the arm bein interposed between the rod and the clamp and forming a strut.

7. A clamp of the class described comprising wire-engaging members, boxes located at the ends of the clamp and at a point between the said ends and provided with adjusting means for causing the members to engage the fence wire, the end boxes being provided with projecting lugs having perforations, and the other box being provided with projecting arms having terminal grooves, truss rods arranged in the terminal grooves of the said arms and passing through the perforations of the said lugs and provided with means for engaging the same.

8. A clamp of the class described comprisng a relatively fixed wire engaging member, an adjustable member cooperating with the same, boxes having integral sides and ends and detachably secured to the relatively fixed member at the terminals thereof and at a point intermediate of the ends of the same, the sides of the said. boxes forming guides for the adjustable member, means mounted on the boxes for engaging the adjustable member, and truss rods extending from the top to the bottom of the clamp and connected at their terminals with the end boxes and located outside the plane of the fence wires.

9. A clamp of the class described including two wire-engaging members, one of the mem bers being provided with a longitudinal groove having converging side walls and provided with a flat bottom face and the other member being provided with a longitudinal rib having a flat front face and provided with inclined side faces, the groove and the rib cooperating to crimp the wires and the members being rovided with flat outer wireengaging faces lying beyond the groove and the rib and arranged to clamp the wires at the ends of the crimped portions thereof, boxes receiving the members, headed fastening devices piercing the grooved member and securing the same to the boxes at one end thereof, the heads of the fastening devices being arranged flush with the fiat bottom face of the said groove, and adjusting means located at the other end of the boxes for engaging the other member, the latter serving to prevent the said fastening devices from being dis laced.

10. A 0 amp of the class described including wire engaging members, boxes composed of integral sides and ends and detachably secured to one of the members and forming guides for the other member, said boxes being arranged at the ends of the clamp and at a point intermediate of the ends thereof, truss rods extending from the top to the bottom of the clamp and located outside the plane of the fence wires, and integral means projecting from the boxes and receiving the truss rods at the ends thereof and at a point intermediate of the ends of the same.

11. A clamp of the class described including two wire-engaging members, one of the members being provided with a longitudinal groove having a flat bottom face and provided with straight converging inclined side walls extending from the side edges of the bottom face and the other member being provided with a longitudinal rib having a fiat outer face to correspond with the bottom face of the groove and provided with straight inclined side faces, the groove and the rib cooperating to crimp the wires and the members being also provided with flat outer wireengaging faces ying beyond the groove and the rib and arranged to clamp the wires at each end of the crimped portions thereof, and the said inclined walls and faces being round.- ed at the side edges of the bottom of the groove and the side edges of the outer face of the rib to prevent the members from cutting the wire, and means for operating the members.

12. A clamp of the class described including two wire-engaging members, one of the members being provided with a longitudinal groove having a flat bottom face and provided with straight converging inclined side walls extending from the side edges of the bottom face, and the other member being provided with a longitudinal rib having a flat outer "face to correspond with the bottom face of the groove and provided with straight inclined side faces, the groove and the rib cooperating to crimp the Wires and the members being also rovlded with fiat outer Wireengaging faces ying beyond the groove and the rib and arranged to clamp the Wires at each end of the crimped portions thereof, and the said inclined Walls and faces being ing the said members and secured at one end to one of the members, the sides of the boxes 5 forming guides for the other member, and operating means extending into the boxes for engaging the latter member.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signa- 20 ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

JACOB FISHER.

rounded at the side edges of the bottom of the groove and the side edges of the outer l \Vitnesses:

face of the rib to prevent the members from J. H. GEOHE, cutting the Wire, a plurality of boxes receiv- 1 F. S. BROWN. 

